Bluebell
Bluebells are a genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, Hyacinthoides.
| Bluebell | |
|---|---|
| |
| Hyacinthoides × massartiana | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Unrecognized taxon (fix): | Hyacinthoides |
| Type species | |
| Hyacinthoides hispanica (Mill.) Rothm.
| |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Colonel's Covert, East Leake, South Nottinghamshire
Bluebells are famous as indicator species (markers) for ancient woodland, where they carpet the forest floor in springtime. They grow in shade rather than in sunny areas.
Hyacinthoides is differentiated by the presence of two bracts at the base of each flower, rather than one bract per flower or no bracts in other closely-related genera.[2]
Species
According to the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as of July 2012[update], the genus contains 11 species and one interspecific hybrid.[3] Most species are distributed around the Mediterranean Basin, with only one species in northwestern Europe.[4]
References
- ↑ Michael Grundmann; Fred J. Rumsey; Stephen W. Ansell; Stephen J. Russell; Sarah C. Darwin; Johannes C. Vogel; Mark Spencer; Jane Squirrell; Peter M. Hollingsworth; Santiago Ortiz; Harald Schneider (2010). "Phylogeny and taxonomy of the bluebell genus Hyacinthoides, Asparagaceae [Hyacinthaceae]". Taxon. 59 (1): 68–82. doi:10.1002/tax.591008.
- ↑ Stace, Clive A. 2010 (2010). "Asparagaceae – asparagus family". New Flora of the British Isles (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 914–923. ISBN 978-0-521-70772-5.
- ↑ "Search for "Hyacinthoides"". World checklist of selected plant families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
- ↑ Grundmann, Michael et al 2010 (2010). "Phylogeny and taxonomy of the bluebell genus Hyacinthoides, Asparagaceae [Hyacinthaceae]". Taxon. 59 (1): 68–82. doi:10.1002/tax.591008.
Other websites
Media related to Hyacinthoides at Wikimedia Commons